Taking a guest into BA lounges

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Viewing 15 posts - 46 through 60 (of 72 total)

  • Binman62
    Participant

    vk the rules are clear but that does not prevent debate and suggestions being made. 
    The lounges are already heaving at peak times and I for one would welcome the scrapping of automatic guest access in favour of say 10 guest passes a year. Possibly fewer for silver.
    In this day and age the technology to manage this electronically via the card or BA. Com is surely available. Indeed pre booking via BA.com and manage my booking could help manage staffing and food preparation.
    Such a system would allow families to get access as suggested by others, would reduce overcrowding, whilst providing me with choice in how I wish to use this particular element of the membership benefit. After all we are sold the benefit of choice is Almost all aspects of premium travel so why not this one.


    NTarrant
    Participant

    Evening Martyn

    I understand, not through experience but from a friend, that Virgin have a “vroom” lounge where you can pay to take people even if they are not members of their club. This is apparently seperate from the main lounge. Something like that would probably be ideal, with a tiered structured price for entry depending on status. That way there is no need for families to go into the main lounge.

    Perhaps I am wrong but the idea of the lounges is to provide a sanctory from the main airport for Executive Club members and those flying premium cabins. I certainly don’t want the lounge to be over run with children et al.

    Nigel


    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    The discussion is whether lounge access remains for premium cabin/high rollers or loyal passengers of which some only purchase economy.

    Hence why T5 has 3 different status of lounge and T3 has 2.

    I do not favour any lounge being overun with nannies and children, all I am suggesting is that it would be nice if I could occasionaly take my family into the lounge (that would mean 1 extra person above allowance).

    A passenger’s loyalty is judged by the number of tier points as well as the number of sectors flown. I feel sufficiently loyal to BA (very sufficiently) to have proven my loyalty to the brand.

    Thankfully, VK is not running the lounge or the airline and his voice is only one of many great contributors to this forum!


    wingcommander
    Participant

    Nice to see a consensus forming 😉


    conair346
    Participant

    I would not be in favour of the family passes. I understand the wanting some flexibility on the guest allowance, and see that someone might bring a guest in every time and others have a comfy seat with a coffee. But how about all the other users of the lounges. Your kids might be well behaved, they may be cultured, but half the reason I only book business is I dont want kids around. The lounges offer a great sanctuary. I know Star allow under 18’s as an accompaniment, but not a fully fledged family outing.

    I just dont like kids. Fair enough 22 is too young to have any, but its bad enough when 16 year olds think they know everything then run around the lounge yelling ‘Daddy look at this’ at the wine chillers in the BA T3 lounge.


    UKFly79
    Participant

    I must state I believe that one guest into the lounge is fine, especially if you are on a cheap Y ticket, it’s great!

    I do however understand the odd occasion you may need an extra guest, whether it be a family member or a business colleague perhaps. I think they could boost gold level to that extent, as Martyn suggests, perhaps a tier marker that then allows an extra guest. After all gold and silver are now on the same bonus mileage accrual they should make gold just a bit more attractive for departing passengers. It could only work at T5 because of all the space; outstations would understandably be very hard to police without overcrowding.

    For now, there’s a fair difference between a 1500 tp gold and a 4000 tp gold in revenue terms! If you are a “high revenue” gold it is shown in the system if the staff can be bothered to check, or are in the mood to exercise their discretion! So really, only a polite call to customer services (or if you have been given the number for special services!) is all one can try and do to save embarrassment at the door. I know high tp golds get a few more frills but it could be enhanced a little more. The dizzy heights of a CCR card don’t “officially” allow guest access at all!!

    I have had a few occasions, mostly at LGW, whereby I have been allowed a couple of guests but I did ask nicely.

    It may provide more clarity to open a thread or rename this thread along the lines of “more perks for gold cards” as everyone has some good ideas but realistically they could, and should, only be afforded to BA’s best customers.


    LuganoPirate
    Participant

    On reflection I agree with the current system, one guest per visit. Whilst loyalty’s being rewarded, it is intended for the one who has earned it and extended to a guest. If you’re invited to the Lord Mayor’s banquet or the like you don’t expect, beyond your partner, to be able to take guests, children and any visiting business colleagues who may be in town.

    The average stay is maybe an hour, and I’m sure this is not too long to be parted from family members, bearing in mind you’ll be with them 24/24 for the next week or two! In fact I quite relish the peace and quiet.

    The problem as always is, if you grant guest passes beyond the entitlement, it will never be enough. There will always be a need for an extra entitlement and if not given will generate yet more complaints!


    Cwyfan
    Participant

    After reading all the posts, I too am convinced that it is fair and should stay as is.

    Several posts referred to upgrading using miles to get in the lounge as if availability of the upgrade was automatic. I thought that this was limited in number, and only available at booking, or am I missing something?

    Perhaps using miles for access for extra guests is an alternative, as it is a reward for loyalty in a different way, but perhaps that is a different post


    oldchinahand
    Participant

    Interestingly the lounge policy of ‘One World’ members is not uniform has was suggested earlier in this thread with the CX offering being rather more generous than BA.
    As a diamond invitation member of the Cathay Pacific Marco Polo Club I am allowed 2 guests in FC lounges even if the guests are not flying with CX. (as are diamond members)
    If I nor my guests are traveling CX Cathay offers the use of the BC lounges for up to 2 guests This is very useful for airport meeting and of course for family.
    Last year at LHR T5 we no problem entering the BA FC lounge (self,wife and son) using the CX One World elite tier card when traveling on BA and so entry to BA lounges looks rather like the ‘luck of the draw’.
    While I fully agree with the majority opinion that vouchers and family memberships are both unworkable and undesirable perhaps BA should consider also allowing 2 guests for their top tier members


    LondonAndy70
    Participant

    I guess that many people reading Business Traveller travel mainly for business (the clue’s in the title perhaps!). However, many of those people also have children with whom they go on holiday once or twice a year. They may not feel inclined or able to afford to pay for Club World or First tickets to get the access to lounges that they have through their status.

    My personal experience of the Terraces, First and Concorde Rooms at LHR are not that they have ever been packed. I therefore wonder whether a compromise could be to give 4 “jokers” per year and/or allow passengers with status to use miles (10,000?) for lounge access.

    My daughter turned 2 this year and whilst she has already flown c. 30 flights she doesn’t have status, so when we next fly in a couple of months time it will be interesting to see whether she is allowed in to the lounge or not. I’ll ask politely and if the answer is no then we’ll go and sit in Plane Food or Giraffe instead.

    However, as 90%of my travel is leisure travel paid for by me it would make me think about moving to Star Alliance who I know from experience have a more accommodating view on these things (certainly with BMI).


    TominScotland
    Participant

    KLM enforce the same “rule of one guest only, certainly in Schipol and most other places I use regularly. They brought this in about 8 years ago, prior to which family entry was fine. Subsequent to the rule change, whenever travelling on leisure, my (then) 7 year old son would banish his mother to the duty free when enjoying the pleasures of the lounge with me. Seemed to work OK.


    David
    Participant

    I’m just back from taking the family (wife and 2 kids) to the US on British Airways for holiday (in economy…oh, the horror…) and wasn’t sure what to expect having followed this thread.

    I was very pleased to be warmly greeted at the business lounge in concourse B on the outbound and once again welcomed with a smile on the return into the First lounge.


    IanFromHKG
    Participant

    oldchinahand beat me to the punch in pointing out that despite VK’s assertion that BA’s rules are already very generous, others including their own oneworld partner CX have much more generous programmes. My Diamond status (I haven’t reached the same exalted heights as oldchinahand’s Diamond Invitation level!) allows me two guests in the F lounge when I fly CX or in the C lounge when flying another airline. Having 2 children, though, leaves me one space short – but CX has NEVER, not once, even hinted that I might not be able to take in my entire family

    I also disagree with VK’s assertion that rules are rules and so we, as premium, loyal passengers, should just accept the status quo. Surely the whole point of these fora is to air suggestions and grievances (as well as news, recommendations etc)? And that is precisely how Cedric S started the thread

    For me and my family, all our longhaul flights are in business, as are the vast majority of our local flights. Lounge access as a perk for being a frequent flyer is therefore not as much of a perk for me as it might be for others. However, I entirely agree with the idea put forward by some that a good way to reward the frequent, loyal passenger who, most of the time, travels alone (and for whom, therefore, the single guest privilege is meaningless) would be to give them family privileges on the far fewer (for the overwhelming majority of people) occasions when they are on holiday. That would also be a small recompense to those family members for the many times that, in acquiring that loyalty status, their nearest and dearest was away from home.


    Senator
    Participant

    If I am not mistaken, most Star carriers will:
    “Allow the traveller and family members, defined as spouse + children below the age of 18 years” to enter the lounge. So you can either:
    Bring one guest, or
    Your family with children

    I think this is fair. Whilst the topic of children and premium travel including lounges has been discussed at length, we all have two sides: the professional and the private person. Why not allow the family to indulge in some of the “loyalty” mom or dad have accumulated over the years.

    Happy travel


    VintageKrug
    Participant

    I do think its important the rules are adhered to; I don’t have a problem for people lobbying for additional access (though I disagree with that opinion) the issue is that it’s important to have a globally consistent, simple policy.

    It’s very easy for rules to be misconstrued, customers to be disappointed, for other pasengers to be upset by misbehaviour of other people’s children, or for people to be upset by being asked to quieten their own children down, and so I’m quite happy that unless my family are actually paying to travel in a premium cabin, or entitled to lounge access because they have status, that they will not be allowed into the lounge. Simples.

    Though I am not a CX regular, my understanding and limited experience of their lounges (about five lounges) is that outside Hong Kong and possibly London (though I wasn’t impressed with the T3 F and J lounges – too sterile) CX doesn’t have a very luxurious lounge network – it’s certainly not on a par with what BA offers in the US and Europe.

Viewing 15 posts - 46 through 60 (of 72 total)
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